Customer Service

A branch of an international bank.  Oaxaca, 10:00AM

There was no one in line.  This was unusual.  I happily advanced to the the active window, only to realize that it was empty.  I waited a few minutes until the clerk stepped behind the glass, and wiped her mouth from the remains of  what must have been a delicious snack.  The transaction was concluded with only a few fumbles and mishaps.  My other issue was beyond the capability of this clerk, and required the attention of another.

I headed to the next area to find a long line of people sitting patiently, awaiting their turn.  The clerk moved in deliberate slow motion, unfazed by the stares of the clientele.  As my turn arrived, and I prepared to get up from the couch, she joined her thumb and index finger for the "Un momentito" gesture, and left.  For twenty minutes I was stranded between the couch and her desk.  When she returned she beckoned for me to approach, wiped her mouth, cleaned her teeth with her tongue, then politely offered to help me.  I resisted the urge to ask if she enjoyed the coffee break.  Our interaction was interrupted by two phone calls.  The first was from a restaurant, asking for the lunch order.  This required my clerk to solicit lunch preferences from all her fellow workers.  The second phone call was similar, but pertained to tomorrow's lunch.  When I left the bank it was almost noon.  I felt lucky to have achieved my goals without needing to return another day.


Mexico is rich in culture, but poor in customer service, and customer service is just the tip of a much bigger problem.  Most institutions in Mexico, both in the public and the private sectors, are highly inefficient.  They are bureaucratic, paper-driven, and overstaffed.  Mexico has yet to absorb the productivity lessons of the twentieth century, let alone enter the internet-driven twenty-first.  Until it does, and despite its natural resources, it will lag the more productive nations.  This may be good for retired gringos, looking for low cost of living, but not for it's citizens.   My fear is that if competition is not forcing improvement, who will?  Maybe the young new President has the answer.